NBA Free Agents 2020: Latest Rumors on Notable Stars Hitting Open Market
The Toronto Raptors find themselves in an all-too-familiar position entering NBA free agency.
A year ago, they lost Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers; this time around, there is fear they will lose Fred VanVleet.
Due to the unique nature of the NBA calendar, the Raptors were able to prepare for a potential loss of the 26-year-old by selecting a point guard in Wednesday's draft.
The ideal situation would be VanVleet coming back to the Canadian franchise, but it has to be prepared for the worst.
Danilo Gallinari is one of the top free agents who seem more likely to land with a new team than re-sign with his old club.
The Atlanta Hawks have emerged as one of his potential suitors as they look to put more pieces around Trae Young in a bid to contend for an Eastern Conference playoff position.
Latest NBA Free-Agent Rumors
Fred VanVleet
According to TSN"s Josh Lewenberg, people around the NBA believe the Raptors are favored to win VanVleet's signature. But their quest to keep the point guard won't be easy since he is viewed as the top unrestricted free agent on the market.
New York, Detroit and Atlanta are among the teams with a decent amount of cap space that could sign the Wichita State product, and the Raptors prepared for that possibility by landing San Diego State's Malachi Flynn with the No. 29 overall pick in the draft.
The 22-year-old could be utilized in plenty of scenarios with VanVleet still on the roster. At first, he would be a backup option but could develop into a spot-starter for the Eastern Conference side.
If VanVleet returns, he will again have the keys to the offense and will eventually take over for Kyle Lowry as the top guard on the roster.
If the Raptors re-sign him, they would have Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and VanVleet as cornerstones of their roster at 26 years old or younger.
Toronto's spot in the NBA Finals is far from guaranteed with VanVleet back, but it puts it in a much better position to compete with the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and others if he returns.
Danilo Gallinari
Marc Stein of the New York Times reported on Wednesday "there is a growing belief" Atlanta is an ideal position to land Gallinari. The report also mentioned Rajon Rondo as a possible Hawks target.
The Hawks can put all of their energy toward perimeter improvements with the paint secured by the selection of Onyeka Okongwu.
With $43 million in cap space to work with, per Spotrac, the Hawks have the luxury of chasing one or two premier players to add to their young core.
The challenge in courting Gallinari could be convincing him of the team's eventual title aspirations. He may try to go to a team like the Miami Heat, which is in a much better position to win a championship now.
If the Hawks are able to sell the 32-year-old on their long-term vision, they could begin to climb out of the East basement.
In that scenario, Atlanta would have one of the top distributors in the league in Young, a veteran shooter in Gallinari, a few young three-point shooters led by Kevin Huerter, and depth down low through Clint Capela and Okongwu.
On paper, the projected roster with Gallinari looks like it could contend for a playoff position among the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and others.
If the Italian wants to go to a more proven contender, Miami may be the perfect fit because it has to replace Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder.
Gallinari's potential addition to the Miami lineup would help the reigning East champion counter whichever moves Milwaukee, Boston, the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers make in the offseason.
